Terrorist Attack on Western Residences in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; May 12, 2003 to Present

Reporting by EmergencyNet news,
with analysis by the Emergency Response & Research Institute

SAUDI ARABIAN TERROR BOMBING CASE UPDATE:

FBI Team To Probe Saudi Attacks

SAUDI ARABIA: A six-member FBI team was expected in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to aid the Saudi investigation into the suicide attacks that killed 34 people this week, including eight Americans. Saudi and U.S. officials have clashed in the past over terror investigations. Some U.S. experts worry the Saudis will limit American access to suspects and evidence, as they did after the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers military dormitory that killed 19 U.S. service members.

The FBI team in the latest al-Qaeda terror case was kept small to avoid the perception that U.S. law enforcement officials were taking over. The group will determine what other personnel and resources need to be brought in.

On Wednesday, the foreign minister, Prince Saud, revealed that 15 Saudis -- and not nine as originally reported by the official media -- had taken part in Monday's attacks and acknowledged there had been security lapses. Saudi forensic experts have been working around the clock, under floodlights at night, since Monday's attacks, poring over the bomb sites and collecting shreds of paper, molten metal items and other debris that could help them piece together what happened and who was responsible.

Besides the eight Americans, those killed Monday were seven Saudis, three Filipinos, two Jordanians, and one each from Australia, Britain, Ireland, Lebanon and Switzerland. The toll of 34 included nine of the Saudis identified as among the attackers.

Experts on Middle Eastern security said it was unlikely Monday's attacks would lead to an exodus of foreign workers. But they said civilians and business interests are a soft target for al-Qaeda and that the Saudi government must reassure foreign companies that it is capable of dealing with the threat.

Saudi Arabia's refusal openly to host U.S. troops during the Iraq war and the subsequent decision to withdraw nearly all U.S. military personnel from the kingdom was meant to neutralize the chief complaint of radical Islamic groups, including al-Qaeda. The fugitive Usama bin Laden's declaration of jihad against Jews and Crusaders in 1998 read: "First, the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors."

The U.S. presence was unpopular far beyond the militants prepared to use violence. It was a source of humiliation to many Saudis that they were so dependent on the U.S. More than 50 years of American military presence in the kingdom is due to end later this year. At its height, during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, this presence ran to hundreds of thousands of troops.

In the recent Iraq war, the kingdom officially offered no support to the coalition, though about 10,000 US personnel were believed to be stationed there. Though the U.S. military presence may be ending, about 30,000 U.S. citizens will remain -- some working in military training capacities, others in defense and aeronautic industries. Tens of thousands of Europeans, Canadians, Japanese and other expatriates also work in Saudi Arabia.

Monday's attack may have been intended to drive even these people out. The attacks may also have been aimed at undermining the royal family, or even part of a wider campaign to depose it. Mohammad al-Khereiji, a political analyst at the Saudi Arab News, said: "The attack really shows that the Americans were just an excuse -- scapegoats. The people behind these attacks, whether al-Qaeda or anyone else, are clearly seeking political power in Saudi Arabia and are playing the religious terrorism card."

Other analysts say there is widespread support and sympathy for al-Qaeda and similar groups among ordinary citizens and inside the security services. Earlier in May, the Saudi security services trumpeted the discovery of a criminal and terrorist cell alleged to be linked to al-Qaeda. Nearly 400 kilos of explosives, rifles and tens of thousands of U.S. dollars were apparently found, but all 19 men wanted in connection with the raid escaped. Security analysts say the escape of all suspects in the raid is highly suspicious.

Other analysis says the Saudi rulers face an indigenous and widely supported challenge from a militant Islam that wants to see the kingdom become more conservative or fundamentalist, and completely sever its ties with the West. The widespread unpopularity of the war in the Middle East, many analysts fear, can only add to al-Qaeda's support, just as the U.S. withdrawal from Saudi Arabia may be interpreted as its victory.

Excerpted from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT, Wednesday, May 14, 2003, Vol. 9 - 125

FBI Sends Team To Investigate Saudi Arabia Bombings

WASHINGTON: The Federal Bureau of Investigation dispatched a team of special agents on Tuesday to assist Saudi Arabia in the probe of this week's deadly bombings. The FBI "assessment team" that is headed to Saudi Arabia includes up to a dozen agents and technicians and is led by a senior official in the counterterrorism division. The FBI also has a permanent legal attaché in Riyadh who acts as a liaison with that nation's police and counterterrorism officials.

FBI investigators plan to interview witnesses and recover and secure evidence alongside Saudi police. FBI bomb specialists will begin the process of figuring out what explosives were used, how they were detonated and how to trace their origin. Tom Baker, former FBI legal attaché in Paris, said investigators could obtain finger- prints from bomb fragments and compare them with those of known terrorists and with those found on fragments from previous bombings. Methods of wiring and the type of explosives used are also key clues.

The FBI is depending on cooperation from the Saudis, who restricted bureau access after the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers dormitory that killed 19 U.S. military personnel. FBI Director Mueller said: "My expectation is that we will get full cooperation from the Saudis." Mueller said the attack bears many "markings" of al-Qaeda.

Counterterrorism analysts say the signposts of an al-Qaeda attack include the high degree of coordination needed to carry out the attacks, the use of suicide attackers and the group's oft-stated aim of ridding Saudi Arabia of Western influence. U.S. intelligence had indicated over the past few months that an attack in Saudi Arabia against American interests was possible and that it would be against "soft targets" rather than fortified military or government installations.

U.S. authorities are trying to determine who directed the operation and inquiring whether senior al-Qaeda operatives, believed to be in Iran, played a role. Usama bin Laden's son Saad is thought to be among those in Iran.

U.S. State Department officials said Tuesday evening that eight Americans died in the attack, and 17 remained hospitalized.

Saudi authorities linked a 19-member al-Qaida team on Tuesday to the carnage at three foreign compounds in the capital -- multiple, simultaneous car bombings that killed at least 30 people total. Nine attackers were among the dead. Another 194 people were wounded, most of them not seriously. Forty were said to be Americans.

On Monday night, it took the bombers 30 seconds to a minute to get through an iron gate, drive up to the building and detonate explosives. After killing the sentries, the bombers pushed the button that opened the iron gate to the compound. It was not clear how many cars were used. A guard at one of the housing compounds told al-Watan newspaper that seven cars exploded there, all apparently carrying suicide bombers.

Facades of five- and four- story buildings were sheared off, revealing apartment interiors. One explosion near al-Hamra's recreation facility left a crater 20 feet across. Several cars and six or seven single-family homes within 50 yards of the blast were destroyed.

U.S. State Department Issues Travel Warning For Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, DC: On 13 May, the U.S. Department of State issued the following Travel Warning for Saudi Arabia: "This Travel Warning is being updated to inform U.S. citizens that the Department of State has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and family members from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia. U.S. citizens are reminded of increased security concerns and the potential of further terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. This Travel Warning supersedes that of May 1, 2003.

The Department of State has ordered the departure of all non- emergency personnel and family members at the U.S. Embassy and the Consulates in Saudi Arabia following the terrorist attacks on May 12 against residential compounds in Riyadh. The Department recommends that private American citizens currently in Saudi Arabia consider departing the country. The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia.

As stated in the current Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement, Americans are reminded of the potential for further terrorist actions against U.S. citizens abroad, including in the Persian Gulf region. Personnel at the United States Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia remain available to provide emergency information and services to American citizens. U.S. citizens who remain in Saudi Arabia despite this Travel Warning should register at the Consular Section (emergency alert network) in order to obtain updated information on travel and security in Saudi Arabia."

INSTANT - Tuesday, May 13, 2003 - 16:30GMT - 12:30EDT

Saudi Attack Has Earmarks Of Al-Qaeda

SAUDI ARABIA: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday that Monday night's terror attack in Riyadh killed at least 10 Americans and "had the earmarks of al-Qaeda." But no group has claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks. Terrorists shot their way into three housing compounds in the Saudi capital and then set off homicide car bombs, killing at least multiple foreigners and seven Saudis. At least 40 Americans were wounded in the attack.

A Saudi Interior Ministry official said 20 people were killed -- seven Americans, seven Saudis, two Jordanians, two Filipinos, one Lebanese and one Swiss. In addition, nine charred bodies believed to be those of the homicide attackers were found. There were other reports that ten Americans and an Australian had been killed. Confirmed numbers of the dead in the blasts is very difficult to ascertain as conflicting reports are issued.

Sec. Powell said after he arrived in the Saudi capital: "This was a well planned terrorist attack." "Terrorism strikes everywhere and everyone. It is a threat to the civilized world," he added.

POTUS was notified of the bombings Monday night by a National Security Council representative traveling with him in Indianapolis.

The U.S. Embassy sent out a "warden" message advising all Americans in Saudi Arabia to remain at home.

Overall casualties appeared to be in the hundreds and that several members of the Saudi National Guard were killed. At the housing complexes on Tuesday, five floors of buildings were blown out and building facades were sheared off.

Most of the homes in the complex are large, single-family villas. Residents tend to be professionals in the oil industry, the financial sector or schools. The compounds housed families of Boeing Co, among others. Saudi Arabia has a large population of expatriate workers, including about 35,000 Americans.

Former CIA intelligence officer Peter Brookes said the scale, sophistication and calculation of Monday's attack "smacks of al-Qaeda." Brookes called the bombing a "real wake up call" for Saudi Arabia and said the United States and Saudi Arabia need to work more closely to crack down on terrorism...

INSTANT - 08:00CDT - 13 May 2003

Saudi Capital Blasts Kill At Least 13

SAUDI ARABIA: Officials reported on Tuesday that attackers shot their way into three housing compounds in the Saudi capital then set off suicide car bombs, killing at least 13 foreigners. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the coordinated terror strike had "the earmarks of al-Qaeda." Powell, who arrived Tuesday on a previously scheduled visit despite the attacks, said at least ten Americans were among the dead after being briefed by U.S. Ambassador Robert Jordan. More than one hundred people, from several countries, are thought to have been wounded in the attacks -- some critically.

Philippine authorities reported two deaths, and Australian officials reported one. The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, on its Web site, said a Danish doctor at Riyadh's King Faisal hospital reported that between 40 to 50 bodies were brought to his hospital. No other official details were made available. Another anonymous official told EmergencyNet News that the death toll is likely to rise, and that there is no confirmed number of dead at the time of this report.

A U.S. official said overall casualties appeared to be in the hundreds and that several members of the Saudi National Guard died in the attacks. He also said British, German, French, Australian and other Arab citizens were among the dead and wounded.

The attacks late Monday were followed by a smaller bombing Tuesday near the headquarters of a Saudi-U.S. company. No casualties were reported in that bombing. The small blast went off early Tuesday near the headquarters of the Saudi Maintenance Company, also known as Siyanco.

ERRI NEWS ALERT UPDATE

EMERGENCY RESPONSE & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
EmergencyNet NEWS Service
Monday, May 12, 2003
20:00EDT

Multiple Blasts Hit Saudi City; At Least Three Dead

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi security officials said scores of casualties were reported after at least three explosions rocked the Saudi capital of Riyadh late on Monday, including a car bomb at a compound housing Americans and other Westerners.  It is believed that the incident took place at about 23:30 local time. An Interior Ministry official told the state-run Saudi Press Agency that three explosions occurred, but did not give details on the cause or location of the other two blasts.

An officially unconfirmed source told EmergencyNet News via e-mail that the blasts had been caused by "car bombs." Three Western residential compounds were thought to have been attacked in a "coordinated manner." There was said to be an extensive damage to property. One report said it was believed there had been some deaths and an unknown number of injuries.

A Saudi security official said that a black Chevrolet Caprice sedan crashed into a residential compound in Garnata, an eastern suburb in Riyadh. The explosion caused a number of injuries. According to witnesses, there was gunfire moments before the car exploded. The compound is is owned by Riyadh's deputy governor and includes several residential complexes housing mainly Westerners and non-Saudis.

ERRI analysts say that this apparent multiple terrorist attack carries the modus operandi of the al-Qaeda terror network, which has carried out attacks in Saudi Arabia in the past. Secondarily, it is possible that the attacks were designed to attempt to hasten a departure of U.S. and allied forces from Saudi Arabia. The ERRI Watch Center continues to monitor the situation closely...

ERRI **FLASH** REPORT

EMERGENCY RESPONSE & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
EmergencyNet NEWS Service
Monday, May 12, 2003
18:45 EDT

INITIAL REPORT: SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi security officials said a car packed with explosives crashed into a Riyadh compound housing Westerners and blew up late Monday. Casualties were reported. The car exploded after slamming into a residential compound in the eastern part of the Saudi Arabian capital.

Other reports said there were three separate attacks on compounds but no American casualties have been reported, so far. officials did say the blasts caused an unspecified number of injuries. Police cars and ambulances were seen rushing to the explosion sites.

Counterterrorism experts are saying in preliminary analysis that this is the work of the al-Qaeda terror network. That hypothesis has not been confirmed by official sources.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will be going to Saudi Arabia later this week for talks with leaders of the kingdom. He is asking the Saudis for their help in harnessing militant groups and in promoting Palestinian reform.

The incidents follow a warning issued by the U.S. State Department earlier this month advising Americans to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia because of increased terrorism concerns. Last week, a senior Saudi security official said suspected terrorists were receiving orders directly from Usama bin Laden and had been planning attacks in Saudi Arabia targeting the royal family as well as American and British interests. Officials said the prime targets were the defense minister, Prince Sultan, and his brother, the interior minister, Prince Nayef.

On Wednesday, authorities said they foiled plans by at least 19 suspected terrorists to carry out strikes and seized a large cache of weapons and explosives in the capital. All escaped after a gunfight with police. The confiscated weapons included hand grenades, five suitcases of explosives, rifles and ammunition, as well as computers, communications equipment and cash.  The ERRI Watch Center continues to monitor the situation ...